After dropping two of three games to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Twins reasserted themselves with a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, including Thursday’s 3-1 victory.
Josh Bell smacked a solo home run — one of three hits on the day for him — and Brooks Lee finally rose to the occasion with a bases loaded single to drive in two runs.
Lee really needed this moment because he has struggled at the plate. It got so bad that during a previous plate appearance in this home series he attempted to bunt and accidentally hit himself in the face with the bat.
The other major accomplishment is that Portland native and top prospect Mick Abel made a quality start, pitching shutout baseball for six innings. He allowed just four hits with six strikeouts and three walks, which contributed to a total pitch count of 102. Subtract the walks and he may have pitched even deeper into Thursday’s game.
The win ultimately went to reliever and new face Garrett Acton, who the Twins traded to get and then recalled from Triple-A Saint Paul. He replaces reliever Zak Kent who was sent down to the Saints.
The Twins now head to Toronto to face the Blue Jays. Simeon Woods Richardson gets the ball.
Extra innings…
–The Twins are 7-6 and a game out of first place behind the Cleveland Guardians, likely making them one of the big surprises in the early part of the season.
–Outfielder James Outman still can’t hit, but he did make a very nice play in left field on Thursday as he caught the ball while sliding into the wall.
–Attendance was higher on Thursday after falling steadily from last week’s home opener. About 19,000 fans were at the game.
–Reliever Eric Orze picked up the save, which earned this footnote: it’s only the third time since 1969 that a team has won four straight games in a single series with four different pitchers getting a save, according to MLB.com.